Subiaco Oval 1937
Even in the very early days of the Swan River Colony there was a need for a sports ground on which to play cricket, run horse races and other contests. Initially a piece of flat, relatively clear ground in East Perth, roughly where Queens Gardens is today, was used for cricket and horse races were run on the downs in Fremantle. Slowly, as the population grew, better facilities for various sports were developed.
Not all grounds were ideal. For example, before the present Subiaco Oval was developed, Subiaco footballers played on a patch of ground in West Subiaco (now Shenton Park). During winter this pitch had a nasty habit of becoming indistinguishable from the surrounding swamp land, making home game impossible to hold.
Fremantle Oval prior to WW1.
In this talk, Richard Offen, the Executive Director of Heritage Perth, explores the history of our sporting venues, including such famous grounds as Subiaco Oval and the WACA.
Presented by
Australian Society for Sports History (WA) & Heritage Perth
Game Sports Bar Northbridge
90 Aberdeen Street
7.30pm Monday 28 November
australianrules.com.au 